THE MAIN MEN

Rafael Nadal - The world No. 1 won the title in Indian Wells in 2007 and has only been playing better on hardcourts since. He won his first Australian Open title in 2009 in another classic battle with Roger Federer. However, the Spaniard injured his troublesome knee in Rotterdam, losing in the final to Andy Murray. How is the knee feeling? He did help lead Spain to a 4-1 victory over Serbia in Davis Cup last weekend, including defeating world No. 3 (and defending Indian Wells champion) Novak Djokovic in straight sets with no signs of trouble.

Roger Federer - The mighty Federer is playing in his first event since losing an emotional Australian Open final in five sets to Nadal. He withdrew from Dubai and Davis Cup last weekend with a back injury he had been battling since late 2008. It was an unusual move for the Swiss, who has managed to stay clear of major injuries in his illustrious career. How he moves and plays could dictate whether the back could be a nagging problem this season or if the layoff sufficiently healed the problem. Will we see the Federer of old in Indian Wells this week?

Novak Djokovic - The Indian Wells defending champion won the title here last year with a three-set win over surprising finalist Mardy Fish. The world No. 3 was also a finalist at Indian Wells in 2007, so the desert has been a place of great success for him. Recently he won the title in Dubai and went 0-2 in Serbia’s Davis Cup loss to Spain, losing to Nadal and David Ferrer.

Andy Murray - Murray started 2009 where he left off in 2008, playing some of the best tennis on tour. He has won two titles so far this year, including defeating Nadal in Rotterdam. However, like Federer, he was forced to withdraw from last weekend’s Davis Cup matches with an illness that also caused him to miss the tournament in Dubai. Like can be said of Federer – is he fully recovered?

Andy Roddick - Roddick, the highest-ranked American in the draw, is coming off another fantastic performance for the U.S. Davis Cup Team. He went 2-0 in the tie against a Federer-less Swiss team, including clinching the series with a win over Stanislas Wawrinka. He is playing solid tennis in 2009 with a 19-3 record on the tour, and he won his first title of the year in Memphis just a few weeks ago.

 

USTA